Plastic Waste Generated by Households compared to Commercial & Industrial Sectors
Parliamentary Question, 3 March 2020
Ms Anthea Ong asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources given that the official recycling rate for plastic in 2019 was 4% (a) what is the breakdown between plastic waste generated by households, as compared to plastic waste generated by commercial and industrial sectors; and (b) what percentage of plastic, by volume, remains after incineration and is left on Semakau Island.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The recycling rate for plastic in 2018 was about 4%. The National Environment Agency is reviewing Singapore’s waste management and recycling statistics for 2019, and will publish them when ready.
In 2018, Singapore generated 949,300 tonnes of plastic waste in Singapore. 41% was generated by domestic and trade sectors including households, and the remaining 59% by the industrial and commercial sectors.
Plastic waste in Singapore is either recycled or incinerated in Waste-to-Energy plants, and not directly landfilled. Incineration reduces the volume of general waste, which includes plastics, by about 90%. The incineration ash is then disposed of at Semakau Landfill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anthea Ong is a Nominated Member of Parliament. (A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed by the President. They are not affiliated to any political party and do not represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament.)
The multi-sector perspective that comes from her ground immersion of 12 years in different capacities helps her translate single-sector issues and ideas across boundaries without alienating any particular community/group. As an entrepreneur and with many years in business leadership, it is innate in her to discuss social issues with the intent of finding solutions, or at least of exploring possibilities. She champions mental health, diversity and inclusion — and climate change in Parliament.
She is also an impact entrepreneur/investor and a passionate mental health advocate, especially in workplace wellbeing. She started WorkWell Leaders Workgroup in May 2018 to bring together top leaders (CXOs, Heads of HR/CSR/D&I) of top employers in Singapore (both public and private) to share, discuss and co-create inclusive practices to promote workplace wellbeing. Anthea is also the founder of Hush TeaBar, Singapore’s 1st silent teabar and a social movement that aims to bring silence, self care and social inclusion into every workplace, every community — with a cup of tea. The Hush Experience is completely led by lovingly-trained Deaf facilitators, supported by a team of Persons with Mental Health Issues (PMHIs).
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